CALIFORNIA (Oct. 30) – In a battle for first place in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Southwest Division, the Vulcans suffered a 3-1 loss (21-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-23) against Seton Hill on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania volleyball team has its four-match winning streak snapped and falls to 18-10 this season behind an 11-5 record in league action. Meanwhile, the Griffins improve to 19-8 overall with a 12-4 mark in conference play and claim sole possession of first place in the PSAC Southwest standings. Seton Hill and Cal U have already secured berths into the PSAC Tournament and await the latest regional rankings, which will be released tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 31, after being slotted sixth and seventh, respectively, in the initial rankings.
 
Senior Lois van Schaik (Naarden, Netherlands/St. Vituscollege) led the team with 16 kills on a .289 hitting percentage and added 10 digs to recorded her second kill/dig double-double of the season. Freshman Sarah Moehring (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) posted her team-leading 12th kill/dig double-double of the year with 11 kills and 11 digs, while junior Rachel Priore (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) also tallied 11 kills and added eight digs against the Griffins. Freshman Sarah Benson (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) guided the offense with 40 assists and 11 digs for her 10th assist/dig double-double this season.
 
Sophomore Jensen Silbaugh (Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) directed the defense with 21 digs, while freshman Shelby Alloway (Dunkirk, Ohio/Hardin Northern) registered 15 digs. The net was controlled by seniors Emily Bucklin (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) and Tina Bellhy (McDonald,Pa./Fort Cherry), who totaled four and three blocks, respectively, on Tuesday night.
 
The Vulcans tallied 17 kills on a .265 hitting percentage to take the first set by a 25-21 count. Cal U established an 8-4 advantage in the opening set after three early kills from Moehring before extending the lead on a 3-1 run. Following a Seton Hill timeout, the Griffins scored four of the next five points to cut the deficit to 12-9. The Vulcans responded with three-straight points to take a 15-9 advantage before Seton Hill countered with four-unanswered points. The Griffins closed the gap to 16-15 before the Vulcans tallied back-to-back kills. Cal U scored four the next seven points to hold a 22-18 lead before Seton Hill was forced to use its second timeout of the set. The teams traded the closing six points of the set, as the Vulcans claimed the first set by a 25-21 margin.
 
In the second set, Cal U built an early 4-2 lead before five-consecutive points by Seton Hill forced an early timeout from the Vulcans. The Griffins continued the run with three-unanswered points to take a 10-4 advantage before Cal U used its second timeout. Seton Hill would register nine-straight points to take a commanding 19-4 lead before Moehring ended the run with a kill. The Vulcans scored seven of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 20-12. Following a Griffin timeout, Seton Hill used a 5-2 run to secure the second set by a 25-15 margin.
 
The initial 12 points of the third set featured five ties before the Griffins posted four-unanswered points, 10-6. The Vulcans answered with back-to-back kills before Seton Hill countered with five of the next six points, 15-9. Cal U trimmed the deficit with a 5-1 run before both teams exchanged the next six points, 19-17. The Griffins scored consecutive points to extend the lead to 21-17 before the Vulcans were forced to take a timeout. Cal U closed to the gap to 22-20 by scoring three of the next four points, but Seton Hill took the third set 25-20 after tallying three-straight points.
 
The Griffins secured the match victory with a 25-23 win the fourth set. Both teams battled for the lead early in the set, as the initial 20 points scored provided little separation. Seton Hill started to pull away after totaling three of the next four points to take a 14-10 lead. The Vulcans responded with a 3-1 run to cut the deficit to 15-13 and forced the Griffins to take a timeout. Cal U tied the match at 16-16 before Seton Hill countered with three-unanswered points to take a 19-16 advantage. Following a Vulcan timeout, Cal U tied the match again at 19-19, but the Griffins responded with four of the next six points to hold a 23-21 lead. With the Cal U trailing 24-23, Seton Hill sealed the match victory on a kill to take the fourth set by a 25-23 count.
 
Cal U continues PSAC Southwest play on Friday, Nov. 2, as it faces IUP at the Convocation Center, starting at 6 p.m.